OSAT (117)

Imperial Reorganization following the French and Indian War (1754-1763) created colonial grievances. Britain's victory eliminated the French threat but doubled the national debt. Parliament sought colonial revenue to maintain the expanded empire.

Key Parliamentary Acts:

Colonial Resistance escalated from petitions and boycotts to armed confrontation. The Continental Congress (1774) coordinated colonial response and organized boycotts. Committees of Correspondence linked colonial resistance movements. Colonial militias prepared for potential conflict.

The war began with the Battles of Lexington and Concord (April 19, 1775) when British troops attempted to seize colonial military supplies. The Second Continental Congress assumed governmental functions, appointed George Washington as commander, and eventually declared independence.

The Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776), primarily authored by Thomas Jefferson, articulated Enlightenment principles justifying revolution. The document asserted natural rights (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness), government by consent of the governed, and the right to alter or abolish tyrannical government.

Major Military Phases:

Treaty of Paris (1783) recognized American independence with boundaries extending to the Mississippi River, Great Lakes, and Florida.

The Articles of Confederation (ratified 1781) established the first national government. It created a weak central government with a unicameral Congress, no executive or judiciary, and limited powers. Congress could not levy taxes, regulate commerce, or enforce laws. Each state retained sovereignty and had one vote regardless of population.

Weaknesses of the Articles became apparent:

Congress could not pay war debts or fund military

States imposed tariffs on each other's goods

No mechanism to resolve interstate disputes

Unanimous consent required for amendments

Shays' Rebellion (1786-1787) in Massachusetts highlighted inability to maintain order

The Constitutional Convention (1787) in Philadelphia initially met to revise the Articles but instead drafted an entirely new Constitution. Key compromises resolved major disputes:

The Federalist Papers, written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, defended the Constitution and explained its principles. Federalist No. 10 addressed faction, and Federalist No. 51 explained separation of powers and checks and balances.

The Bill of Rights (ratified 1791) added the first ten amendments protecting individual liberties and limiting federal power. These amendments addressed concerns raised by Anti-Federalists who feared centralized tyranny.

Washington's Presidency (1789-1797) established critical precedents:

Cabinet system (State, Treasury, War, Attorney General)

Two-term tradition

Neutrality in foreign affairs (Proclamation of Neutrality, 1793)

Suppression of domestic rebellion (Whiskey Rebellion, 1794)

Hamilton's Financial Program included:

Federal assumption of state debts

Creation of the Bank of the United States

Protective tariffs and excise taxes

Report on Manufactures promoting industrialization

Political Parties Emerge: Disagreements over Hamilton's program and foreign policy created the first party system. Federalists (Hamilton) favored strong central government, commercial interests, and British ties. Democratic-Republicans (Jefferson, Madison) favored states' rights, agrarian interests, and French ties.